D-R-E-A: Driven. Resourceful. Energetic. Artistic

On the one hand I’m not perturbed by the obliviousness of some people, but on the other hand I’m surprised that most people don’t realize how prevalent marketing is in our culture. I think that the failure to acknowledge this prevalence has to do with the marketing stigma: marketers are only out to brainwash, manipulate, distort, and basically rip people off with shitty, pointless products. Like most stigmas, this is not only grossly out of touch with reality but sadly more pervasive than the truth. And the truth is that marketing occurs more often than you already think.

Whenever you’re arguing, don’t you employ tactics to make your side more appealing by using reason and sound evidence based on research? Or how about when you listen to a dear friend’s plight and you use the information given to console him or her with soothing, sound advice? Or even when you’re on a first date with someone, you analyze every major and minor facet of the situation from the location to that tiny speck of lint on the left side of your Kenneth Cole blazer to make sure that your date goes off without a hitch.

Because they fail to realize the prevalence of these behaviors, most people won’t call them marketing activities right away due to that grossly inaccurate stigma. However, if they put that stigma aside, they will realize that marketers are not so different from the consumers they serve.

You wouldn’t go into a dark, dangerous dungeon without a map of it, would you? Neither would marketers. They rely on hard facts and data before they move forward with any of their plans. They analyze their current situation and look for ways in which they can improve. Then they conduct research and oftentimes they do listen to what their customers have to say. In fact, customer feedback is one of the best things a marketer can get as they would save so much time and money since they would have a better idea as to what they specifically want. And if the customer isn’t satisfied, they will make sure that every resource is available to them. All of these efforts will give them much needed insight as to how to proceed. They aren’t just operating blindly, their findings are their road map to success.